The earliest known writings on war took the form not of treatises but of narratives. Poems, such as those of Homer and the Epic of Gilgamesh, glorified heroes while prose accounts carved into Egyptian, Assyrian, and Babylonian monuments described individual campaigns and battles. However, these tales with their gods and divine heroes may or may not contain historical truths. A third type of military writing emerged in China. After the fall of the Chou (c. 400 BC) China divided into principalities that continually fought among themselves and developed professional standing armies that produced experienced generals. Between 400 and 200 BC many generals began writing their own methods or had other authors write the methods. Chinese governments kept these texts secret because they claimed to have the strategies that would lead their armies to final victory. Of these treatises, none is more famous than the Art of War, by the famous general Wu Sun Tzu. Sun Tzu's work gained the greatest fame in the West, thanks to its use by Napoleon in France and some members of the army high command. the Nazi Party in Germany. It has been the most imperative military treatise in Asia for over 2,000 years, used by Chinese, Japanese, and Korean theorists and professional soldiers. The Art of War is still on the "required reading" list of many colleges and military academies around the world and contains more than just observations about combat. This small book with a simple title applies to business and, according to Thomas Huynh, provides insight into the spiritual nature and everyday life. Sun Tzu was most likely born in the late "Spring and Autumn Period" of China and served the king of Wu, King Helü around 512 BC China, during this period...... middle of paper..... . Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 3-4.Martin Van Creveld, The Art of War: War and Military Thought (London: Cassell, Wellington House, 2000), 20.Ralph D. Sawyer, The Seven Classics of Ancient China (Boulder: Westview Press, 1993), 149.Thomas Huynh and Sun Tzu, The Art of War: Spirituality for Conflict (Woodstock: SkyLight Paths, 2008), xxiv.Mark McNeilly , Sun Tzu and the Art of Modern Warfare (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001), 3-4. Alfred S. Bradford, With Arrow, Sword, and Spear: A History of Warfare in the Ancient World (Westport: Praeger Publishers, 2001), 134-135.Sun Tzu, The Art of War (London: Arcturus Publishing Limited, 2008), 20.Ibid, 21.Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 29.Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 42.Ibid, 49.Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 76.Sun Tzu, The Art of War, 84.